


The Naming of Cats

by water_bby



Category: Naruto
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-05-30 22:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19413106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/water_bby/pseuds/water_bby
Summary: Kakashi's ninken find a kitten, so of course they have to take it home to Iruka.





	The Naming of Cats

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kakairu_fest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kakairu_fest/gifts).



The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,  
It isn't just one of your holiday games[.]  
T.S. Eliot

Kakashi stowed the remnants of his quick meal, wondering where his ninken had disappeared to. Usually they would check out the surroundings and then be back at his side, complaining about the lack of steak in his traveling supplies, before he finished eating. With a sigh, he went to find his absent pack. At least he was nearer a road than a stream, so he probably wouldn't have to clean any mud off of them. Of course, they could always have found something else to get into, so they might need a bath anyway. After this many years, Kakashi was used to the varied ways they could find to make his life difficult.

When he finally ran into them nearly a quarter of a mile further down the road, he discovered that they had found a new one. Bull was standing protectively over a small dark brown kitten. It was maybe ten weeks old and had clearly been out in last night's rain. The moment the ninken saw Kakashi, they began babbling about keeping the kitten. Once the others fell silent, Bisuke announced that they were taking the kitten home to Iruka, because she clearly needed to be Iruka’s, look at the scar across her nose. Pakkun added that they needed Kakashi to help them get her back to Konoha since none of the ninken had opposable thumbs.

Another thing Kakashi had learned over his many years with his pack was that he was not going to win this one. Besides, he couldn't see any place that the kitten could have come from, and he could take the time to make sure she had a good journey to her new home. She was a pretty little thing, he thought as he tucked her safely into a pocket for the trip, and the scar did look a lot like Iruka’s.

Upon arriving back in Konoha, Kakashi remembered that he and Iruka didn't have any cat supplies. He then made the mistake of mentioning it to the pack. So rather than going home, here he was, standing in the Cat Supplies aisle of the pet store being overwhelmed by the options. When an employee asked if he needed any help, Kakashi didn't even get his mouth open before Pakkun and Bull had taken over the job of selecting what to get for Iruka's kitten. Kakashi just pet the sleeping kitten and answered any questions directed his way. 

When they finally made it home, Kakashi saw Iruka standing on their porch, clearly wondering why Bull was carrying bags. The rest of the pack ran forward for the expected petting and then sat down to watch Kakashi carefully remove the now awake kitten from his jacket. Bisuke bounced to his feet, announcing, "We got you a kitten, Iruka-sensei!" Iruka blinked, and then held his hands out for the kitten.

"Hello, Neko. Welcome to our house."

Kakashi stared at him. "You can't call her Cat!" Kakashi had had it thoroughly explained to him as a child that Dog was not an appropriate name for a ninken. He thought the same was true for cats. (And she was a cat. He’d checked. With the Sharingan. He didn’t think his pack would fail to recognize a young cat summons, but it was best to confirm rather than assume such things.)

"We're still getting to know one another. It won't do to rush into a name that she doesn't like." Iruka grinned at Kakashi. "Will you get the supplies off Bull?"

By the time Bull and Kakashi had gotten all the bags into the house and most of the contents moved to the correct rooms, the kitten was perched on Iruka’s shoulder as he listened to the ninken tell about finding the kitten.

Kakashi ran a finger down her head. “I’ve been calling her Brownie.”

The kitten, who had greeted the first use of the name with a purr and a chin lick, hissed at him.

“Well,” said Iruka, “she’s not satisfied with that name. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out eventually.” He leaned over to kiss Kakashi softly on the cheek. “Thank you for helping with Neko.”

The kitten rapidly made herself at home, and the ninken became even more insistent on hanging out in the house. Iruka had been running through names, changing every three to four days. One morning, Kakashi walked into the kitchen to find Pakkun explaining to the kitten, Mau as of the previous night, how to get into the cabinet with her food. Kakashi filled her bowl, shut the cabinet door very firmly, and wandered back to the bedroom.

“Iruka, we need a lock for the cabinet where we keep the kitten’s food.”

“What kind of lock?”

“Don’t they make locks to keep children out of things? I think one of those will do.”

Iruka narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Pakkun is teaching,” Kakashi paused -- he didn’t like using the various Cat names -- “the kitten how to open the cabinet where we keep her food.”

Iruka hunched over with laughter. “Maybe you should have a word with all the ninken about aiding and abetting juvenile delinquency."

But they did go out shopping that afternoon for something to keep the kitten’s food locked up.

When Kakashi had to leave on his next mission, he found the pack circled around the kitten, giving her advice and then telling her and Iruka to take care of one another. She been Biladi for about four days, so Kakashi expected the name would change before nightfall.

The pack didn't stop talking about the kitten for days, and then they started up again once they were on their way back home some two months later.

The much larger kitten met them at the door, meowing softly and then jumping up onto Bull's back while the rest of the pack went to look for Iruka or food. She allowed Kakashi to run a hand down her chocolate brown back before he went to bathe and Bull disappeared into the kitchen.

Once Kakashi was clean and clothed, he went to the kitchen, knowing from long experience that was where Iruka and the pack, and now the kitten, Kakashi supposed, would be. Once there, he noticed that the front of the refrigerator had acquired some magnetic letters spelling out GATO.

"Iruka? When did we get magnetic letters?"

"Gato and I decided to use them to try out names."

"That's still Cat." Because, Kakashi thought, of course it was. Iruka was doing a world tour of words meaning cat. He briefly wondered how many he’d missed while he’d been on his mission.

"We're still working on it." Iruka turned and scooped the kitten up into his arms, where she began purring loudly before demanding to be put back down. "She's been okay with this one for longer than the others, but it's still not quite right."

"Shouldn't it be Gata?"

Iruka laughed. "That one lasted about six hours!"

As the ninken chimed in on the importance of names, Kakashi decided he didn't want to know how Iruka knew the kitten's opinion of possible names. At least his pack had actually told him in words what their names were.

When they headed out again a week later, the kitten was still Gato. Kakashi rather hoped that the name wouldn't stick, but he had learned to keep his opinions about cat names to himself. When he had suggested Cocoa a couple days before, Iruka, the pack, and the kitten had all given him nearly the same exasperated look. He hadn't survived this long by getting into fights he could avoid.

Still, he was disappointed to hear Iruka say something to Gato when he slipped through the door two weeks later. The pack had decided they needed to bathe before coming in, and Kakashi had been sent in to get the supplies. "Still Cat, I hear."

"What? Oh, no. She finally made her choice." Iruka jerked his head toward the kitchen while Kakashi picked up the purring kitten.

Kakashi scratched her under her chin as he walked into the kitchen and noticed the letters. "Does that make you a sweetheart?" he asked the kitten, who purred louder before jumping out of his arms to watch the pack play in the water.

On the refrigerator door, the magnetic letters read GATEAU.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to flailinginlove for the beta and for the scar across Gateau's nose.
> 
> Gateau is French for cake.
> 
> Neko (Japanese), Mau (Chinese), Biladi (Gujarati), and Gato/Gata (Spanish) all mean cat.


End file.
